French word

couche-tard

Pronunciation

IPA/kuʃtaʁ/

Meaning

  • noun (m./f.)night owl

Example

Mon frère est un couche-tard.

My brother is a night owl.

Illustration for couche-tard (night owl)

More examples

Je reconnais que je suis un couche-tard.

I admit that I am a night owl.

Core concept

A person whose bedtime falls late, often remaining awake into the night.

Common phrases

  • être un couche-tard

    be a night owl

  • un vrai couche-tard

    a real night owl

  • les couche-tard

    night owls

Similar words

oiseau de nuit: A night owl who is often active or out at night.
noctambule: A person who is often active at night and stays up late.
lève-tard: A late riser who often sleeps until nearly noon.

Definition in French

Terme familier désignant quelqu'un qui se couche tard.

Word origin

The noun combines the verb form couche from se coucher with tard, creating a hyphenated compound for a person who goes to bed late.

Usage tips

  • The form stays couche-tard with un, une, and des, so the article marks gender and number in common usage.

Opposites

  • lève-tôtearly risernoun

Word lists with this word